Rumor: Ravens Finalizing Trade for Jacoby Brissett After Losing Both QBs

The Baltimore Ravens are reportedly finalizing a trade for Jacoby Brissett, and the timing tells the story. Lamar Jackson lasted one play on Sunday before a thumb injury ended his return, Tyler Huntley is reported to be out for the season, and an undrafted rookie is set to start Thursday night. The deal is not done yet: compensation has not been reported, Brissett still has to pass a physical, and the trade is expected to be completed this weekend, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, with Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur confirming the move on the record. What follows is what is reported, and where the reporting stops.

What is actually reported?

A trade being finalized, not a trade completed. Schefter and Rapoport report the Ravens are finalizing a deal to acquire Brissett from Arizona, and LaFleur confirmed on Wednesday that the Cardinals are aiming to get it completed in the next few days, the Arizona Republic reports. USA Today reports neither club has announced the apparently pending deal, and that the swap will not be completed until this weekend, when compensation for Arizona will be set. Brissett must also still pass a physical with the Ravens, USA Today reports. That is the whole of the confirmed picture: two clubs working toward a deal, a coach confirming it, and no announcement, no compensation and no physical yet. The Ravens’ own site frames it the same way, calling the move a reported trade and noting Brissett would be slated to debut the following Monday against the Los Angeles Chargers if it closes on schedule.

Why are the Ravens this desperate?

Because their quarterback room collapsed in a single game. Jackson, playing for the first time in a month, injured the thumb on his throwing hand on the team’s first play from scrimmage on Sunday at Buffalo, USA Today reports. He will have surgery and may not play again this season. Huntley, who relieved him, suffered a turf toe injury and has since been ruled out for the season. The result is a depth chart that reads like a preseason roster: the Ravens plan to start undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano on Thursday night against the AFC South-leading Jacksonville Jaguars, the team whose London game against the Eagles started with two ejections on the opening kickoff earlier this season. Behind Fagnano are recently signed Kedon Slovis and Austin Reed, neither of whom has started a regular-season game in the NFL, USA Today reports. Baltimore fell to 4-4 with Sunday’s defeat and into last place in the AFC North, and the trade is reported as a signal that the club is not giving up on the season.

Who is Jacoby Brissett right now?

A veteran who went from starter to third string in two days. Brissett, 33, is in his 11th NFL season with 73 career starts and a 23-50 record, USA Today reports. He started the first eight games this season for Arizona, throwing for 1,719 yards with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions, and completed 63.3 percent of his passes for a 79.7 passer rating. Last season was his finest: 3,366 yards and 23 touchdowns in 12 starts with the Cardinals, the Ravens’ site reports. The drop came fast. He was benched for Gardner Minshew II during Sunday’s 33-30 comeback win over Dallas, and on Monday LaFleur announced Minshew as the starter and Brissett as the No. 3 quarterback behind Minshew and third-round rookie Carson Beck. Arizona’s own history with him runs deeper than this season: over 20 starts as a Cardinal he threw 33 touchdowns against 15 interceptions, the Arizona Republic reports, and won the starting job over Kyler Murray in November 2025.

What happened in Arizona this week?

Minshew made the decision for them. He entered in the third quarter at Dallas and completed 17 of 23 passes for 188 yards and three touchdowns, the Arizona Republic reports, leading a comeback from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit. LaFleur called the production wild, and two days later the depth chart followed the performance: Minshew as starter, Beck elevated to backup, Brissett to third string. LaFleur also praised Beck’s grasp of the system, saying it would be nice to know what the club has right there if something were to happen. The demotion was the signal that Brissett’s time in Arizona was over, and the Ravens reportedly pounced within a day. It is the second veteran Arizona has moved on from this autumn: the club also traded Marvin Harrison Jr. to Houston last month, a deal that ran the same course of reporting, announcement and physical before it became official.

When could Brissett play for Baltimore?

Not Thursday, and the reason is the calendar. The Arizona Republic reports the trade will likely be finalized after Thursday night’s game, because completing it before then would force Baltimore to release another player to make room. The delay has a benefit: it gives Brissett 10 days to learn a new playbook before his first start. The Ravens’ site reports he would be slated to make his debut the following Monday against the Los Angeles Chargers. There is also a familiar face waiting for him. Brissett spent the past two seasons with Ravens quarterbacks coach Israel Woolfork in Arizona, the Ravens’ site reports, which the club says would give him a leg up in learning the offense quickly. That connection matters more than usual here, because unlike Jackson and Huntley, Brissett is not a mobile player, USA Today reports, which means rookie offensive coordinator Declan Doyle will likely have to alter his game-planning approach significantly for a quarterback who wins from the pocket.

What would the trade cost?

That is the part nobody has reported. Compensation has not been announced, and the deal is not yet complete, so any number would be a guess. The Arizona Republic reports recent history would suggest a journeyman quarterback of Brissett’s caliber would likely fetch a fifth- or sixth-round pick. The money is clearer. Brissett negotiated a one-year, $15.5 million deal to remain Arizona’s starter in 2026, USA Today reports, and will be owed the remaining portion of his base salary, with the two clubs able to negotiate how much each side pays. He is scheduled to reach free agency in March, and will count for a $7.2 million dead cap hit in 2027, USA Today and the Arizona Republic report. For Arizona, the logic is the same as with any veteran on a rebuilding roster: if a third-string quarterback can bring back a pick, there is little reason not to take it. For Baltimore, the logic is the opposite: a pick is a small price for nine games of competent quarterback play.

What happens next?

Thursday night first, then the weekend. Fagnano starts against Jacksonville while the trade waits, and the deal is expected to be completed over the weekend once the Thursday roster crunch passes. The physical is the next formal step, and then the debut the Ravens’ site has pencilled in for Monday against the Chargers. The wider picture is a league full of quarterback injuries this week: Seattle has already ruled Sam Darnold out for Sunday against Arizona, with Drew Lock starting in his place. Jackson’s surgery and any return timeline remain the open question behind all of it. If he cannot return this season, Brissett is not a stopgap for a week but the quarterback for the rest of a playoff chase, and the reported trade becomes the move the Ravens’ season turns on.